After 20+ years of trend-setting work in story, games and comics, his style is as distinct and intense as ever. So you might find it hard to believe that such beautiful work was once rejected by industry gatekeepers.

In this interview, Eric discusses what goes into his drawing process, the line between arrogance and confidence and why he has to find a personal connection to his professional work…

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I think the idea of having a healthy obsession depends from person to person. The trick is to always be proactive in achieving balance in your life. You can get burned out so fast if things get out of control. Do the best you possibly can and live in the moment. We owe it to ourselves to keep a healthy body, mind, and creative work ethic to be the best we can be.

You also need to be familiar with how you’re wired and what makes you tick. The more you know yourself and what you’re capable of, I believe you can figure out what it is that can work for you much more easily. Setting goals and working toward fulfilling your dreams can help you stay inspired to create that project you always wanted to do, and make the time needed to do it.

What I really appreciate about Eric Canete is his sense of zealousness and dedication. His work is truly captivating. Eric motivated himself to get good with his drawing skills, and he brought his creative voice and efforts into his career and made a lot of excellent work. It is inspiring to learn how he grew as both a professional and as an artist, and what he’s doing to fulfill his creative needs and dreams doing his own thing.

Awesome Stephen, definitely agree regarding balance in your life and the burning out too!!!
My own personal situation is I have a day job which is not art related. So at the end of my day I have x amount of hours to then draw. I try my best to then turn on the creative juice and draw what I can in the time available.
For me it comes down to loving art, creating and thinking about it when I realistically cannot do it (work time). Maybe that is the obsessive component.

Great input, friends. Creating art in my mind when I can’t actually paint or write is HUGELY valuable. …and I am convinced that this practice made the difference between getting my first big break and remaining in retail.

“One must always draw, draw with the eyes, when one cannot draw with a pencil.” -Balthus

Here’s a question for you both and all the readers: do you ever keep a sketchbook by you when you go to sleep? Loony Tunes animator Robert McKimson would come up with crazy and amazingly wild ideas with a routine like this that drove him to create some of the funniest cartoons he gave to the Looney Tunes library. He’d be asleep, and when an idea popped into his head, he thumb-nailed it, ran to his office bright and early and just had a big brain spew at his animation desk, just animating like crazy the scenes he would then pitch and incorporate for his next cartoon.

Dreams and new ideas can come to you unexpectedly when you’re trying to sleep, when you’re dreaming, and in the wee hours of the morning when you get up. Try it if you haven’t already. That routine can be valuable in getting new material to put into your next big project.

I think it was Ken Harris (Chuck Jones’ main animator) who used to spend Monday through Thursday playing tennis, taking long lunches and generally farting around, then would sit down Friday morning and crank out a ton of footage. You can visualize art wherever and whenever you want, for free!! (Note: do not visualize art while driving or operating heavy machinery. Please visualize responsibly.)

Hey man that’s cool! Ken Harris was a really important guy because he helped give life to the drawings Chuck and other Loony Tunes directors made, a really inspiring dude. He also worked on the “Pink Panther” and Hanna Barbara cartoons, even Richard William’s masterpiece “The Thief and the Cobbler.” Ken mentored Richard Williams, and that led him in his experience to eventually publish “The Animator’s Survival Kit.”

And yes! Art is so portable. You can take your little sketch book and anytime a great idea comes to you, you can pull it out and draw it. So good.
Art IS free! We can create it anytime, anywhere we want to freely. Only ask yourself, are you willing to let your creativity come out even if it looks bad? Because it can be developed or embellished later. Be confident and keep growing. You will improve no matter what.

Yes Lora! I’ve been listening to that great book too. That really stuck out to me as well-not stressing about paying rent with the personal project is immensenly fueling to creative energy behind it.

For me, I’m constantly talking to my friends and coworkers at my day job about things that are of interest to us. Eventually, a lot of that stuff gets pulled into my work after some editing. Ultimately I agree with these guys- balance of course, but Art and storytelling tends to seep through and filter what and how I do everything. I’m right there with you Stephen!

Did you read Quitter by Jon Acuff? He talks about how if you quit your day job too soon, you get new bosses who are worse than the old ones: mortgage, utilities, groceries, medical bills…

His point is if you quit too soon, all the realities of life will choke the passion out of your dream project. So keep the dream project fun until it really can sustain those things or you’ll kill it. And you, in the process.

I have to say, having been my own boss for over 8 years now, I really miss having other people around. The illustration studio I used to work for was commercial work, yes, but there was always another stimulating conversation right around the corner. I miss it a lot.

I haven’t read that but I wholeheartedly agree with it. Jason kind of says that in Unattural Talent as well -at least that’s what I gleaned from what he did say.
While my ultimate goal is to be my own boss- I know that at this moment, leaving the day job will create WAY too much stress to continue with my personal project with the attention I give it right now…and you’re totally right about the conversations with people.
Then again, that’s why this comment section is so appealing! I’m trying to be diligent to visit everyone’s website/social media to connect with these likeminded folk because there’s so much power in that. Love this place.

I read that book! But I haven’t gotten to Jason’s “Unnatural Talent” just yet. But I do remember back then, sitting at my day job, listening to his Making Comics podcast over and over again and hoping for the day when I get to work full-time on my own personal projects.

And now that I am practically full-time (am freelancing as well right now). He’s right in saying that it’s more difficult to manage your time, and your self. But I do have some advice on how to get yourself more motivated even when you don’t have a day job, advice I got from several full-time professional bloggers…

1. A GOOD MORNING ROUTINE
One thing I learned from Pat Flynn’s podcast (http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/early-morning-routine/) is the importance of a morning routine. He interviewed Hal Elrod, who wrote “Miracle Morning” and talked about how the most successful people all have a similar morning routine that consists of… (a) Affirmation, (b) Visualization, (c) Reading uplifting material, (d) Journaling, and (e) exercising. He has a lot of testimonials of people that have tried this and have doubled or tripled their productivity.

2. BATCH PROCESSING AND TIMING YOURSELF
This comes from Tim Ferris. And although I’ve yet to discover how we can batch process the work we do for comics and illustration, I’m pretty sure it can work for other stuff (like email and social media). For example, he only checks his email once or twice a day. Michael Hyatt, uses a tool (Buffer) to pre-schedule tweets and FB posts throughout the day so that he doesn’t have to keep going online (and ultimately get distracted by sifting through social media). Of course, there are allotted times wherein he really gets into it just so he can respond to as much people as he can.

The “bullpen” atmosphere can be a real rush creatively. I worked at a toy company for seven years, and the men and women I worked with kept a synergistic creative flow going that was very energizing. I would often go home and work on personal work off the momentum from the day. That was many years ago, and now I’ve got a job that enables me to stay home during the day and get 5-6 hours of art time. Having freelanced a lot in my life, I have the discipline to make the time count. And yes, it is liberating to not have to worry about it paying the bills–yet. Over the last three years, I’ve taken a one-sentence idea that popped into my head and steadily turn it into a (to begin with) 48 page comic. The first 24 pages are inked, the next set is coming up, and I’ve got tons of ideas to continue the story. I’m at the point where I need to start figuring out formatting and marketing–that’s where you guys come into the picture. I’m glad I ran across this resource!

I read Unnatural Talent recently to as well as How to Self Publish Comics by Devil’s Due, and they have both been super helpful for my brewing comic plans. 🙂

Not a cheap or easy suggestion but have you considered a shared studio space rental with other similar creatives? Then you get the water cooler talk without the commercial work.

Even at my job at a web design agency, we space share with branding agency and it’s really great. We ask them print production and InDesign questions and they ask ask about web design and internet questions since we each dip our toes in each others industries. :p Not to mention the variety of having more nice people to chat to just generally.

Having and building your circle of trust and a community to share and make memories with is important to stay healthy socially; face-to-face or online. So is studying art and storytelling; that is key to stay healthy in your creativity, and this will empower you in building your skills.

I feel you there with the not art related day job!
As far as my experience goes, it helps me to actually get more productive! When I have days off, I have a hard time mustering the discipline to do as much as I’d like. I start procrastinating a lot and thus the goal at the end of the day isn’t reached.
But going to work sets a certain routine that helps me actually doing something in my free time 🙂 (And since I think a lot about my personal projects while doing the duller parts of the job I always have something to look forward to once I’m home!)

What you say about having a “healthy obsession” is so true! I’ve been on the dark side of obsessiveness and had to learn the hard way that it’s important I take care of myself… nothing works without good health!

Totally Nicole! Food, sleep, meditation, and exercise are key to have a good hygiene, and I know a lot of people miss out on one or all of these things because of their jobs and not having that balance. Take good care of yourself and your body.

A couple of things that’s helped me stay focused is stretch after working for half-hour periods, getting up, getting a snack, or take a walk to clear my head. I love reading too. I know how it feels staying up with long overnighters without much sleep working for days on end getting college assignments done. It can feel grossly exhausting. You do the best you can and not get stressed out. All is well no matter what happens. Find your happy place and press on!

Right now I’m trying to wrap up my hand-drawn animation for my Senior Thesis deadline. Trying to stay positive and do the most I can, because I can come back to refining later.

UGH!! Finals…!

You guys have really been welcoming and it a lot of fun talking with you. Community, lasting memories, and restorative geek-outs! Oh yes!

Note: YES! 4 am here and a lotta work to do! just THANK YOU for this artcast. It is the fuel for my creativity and my ethusiasm :)﻿

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About the healthy obsession:
I believe there is a thin but tangible balance in that. For me, the obsession is more about being immersed in that work. To loose yourself there to the point where you absorb everything around you, related to that subject;

For me, the balance in this means: to set an “amount of time” to allow this obsession to take over. Find out how much your body (and your family/husband/etc) can take it and set a time frame to go crazy about it.
If you are obsessed about something all the time its not healthy. But on the other hand, if there is no fire, then life looses half of its colors.

I have several agreements to my husband in order to maintain family and work.

Thank you Chris and team. Awesome podcast. Guess I listened at least 3 times by now.

I really liked that part too, Lora. How Eric shared that very real conversation with his wife about time management as it related to her.

The family stuff is the big question mark for me. I think my situation is a bit different than most. My ‘day job’ is homeschooling my kids. This is a decision we stand by and it won’t likely change no matter what happens with my career. The fact that we have four young children who we are devoted to makes me question everything about obsession. It’s like I want to schedule time for being obsessive about my art but even when I try to squeeze in time to work, the kids or husband still require more of me.. and if that isn’t restrictive enough, if I get really serious about it, enough to actually go out of the home to work, then the guilt overpowers me so that every creative achievement comes with a price.

I know that some who read this may think- well, if you wanted a career you shouldn’t have had a large family or made the decisions that you have, but this is the life I have and it’s wonderful in a million ways… and at the same time I am driven to become the best artist I can be. (Children’s Books is my chosen path at this point)
I would love to have some kind of morning or night routine that helped me, but things don’t seem to work that way with me or our family. We move in waves almost. I have stagnant times and productive bursts. Maybe I just haven’t tried hard enough yet.

I still need to work on this balance method you described! I have a broken internal clock so I don’t always realize when too much time has passed and then I loose traction!

I also like the way to put it with making a family agreement. I have a slight one started with my lovely wife and kiddos but I need to set it in stone better and actually commit to working it. This is a weak point in myself so am glad to hear another artist making such good progress with that!

Ohhh I know that! I’ve been using apps on my smartphone to keep my internal clock aligned with the real world. Its really easy to get carried away.
Been using Timesheet on android. Allows me to keep a track of how many hours a week and per day I’m spending in each project.
But a simple stopwatch should work as well. 🙂

I think there is something called healthy obsession, I think it’s better name is “Drive”. I know I am a little obsessed with learning, and get addicted to discovering how and why art works the way it does, hence a lot of online studying, kick started by the Oatley Academy! And this knowledge helps to have more confidence when you paint, if you have an understanding on how different elements work, I know I have more confidence in laying down the paint stroke. Great podcast as always guys! Sounds like the answer is more hard work 🙂

I like that too. Drive is a great thing to have to push you forward. Stephen Silver calls it momentum. You get excited about what you’re working on, and because you’re working toward something that makes you happy, that can lead you to make healthy decisions that will bring you joy and success, even when you’re working at a studio job or an non-art job.

Keep that fire burning Heino! The one thing to take from Eric is that he always knew what he was about. He had a plan for his craft and went after it. You are someone like that. You have a plan, now it’s time to strike! Then you’ll realize that you have had the break all along, and it’s simply in “doing” the craft;] Can’t wait to talk more!

Hi there! My response to the question was a bit disjointed, and so comes in 3 points:

1) Over my time in college, I’ve come to refer to being an artist in animation as being obsessive by nature. When people see the amount of drawings that go into a split second of animation, they ask how I, or anyone, has the patience. And it’s because we love it so much, we have a passion for it. That’s not to say it doesn’t come with it’s pains (OH BOY does it come with pains). But I think there’s a thrill we get out of the accomplishment / the end result.

2) When I first read the discussion topic, my gut reaction was “Yes, there is such a thing as healthy obsession, if we’re talking about art”. I’m sure if I gave this more consideration, my answer might change or come with conditions. But if I was to apply it purely to my own personal experiences, I stick to my gut reaction. Just the other day, my aunt was comforting me in my college-induced woes, saying that at least when I go out to work in the industry (touch wood) I won’t be obliged to do homework etc. I said “Exactly. I can’t wait to get back to drawing in my spare time for fun. I have so many ideas I want to finally get finished / started”. To which she replied “No! Don’t be forcing extra work on yourself!” Then, I put it into words for the first time – I said “But animation and art are obsessive things, we make a job out of our passion for drawing, and then we make it a hobby on the side too. So many people work for an animation company and make their own short films and comics etc on the side.” I think we all need to make sure we keep a balance of course, and not let ourselves work to the bone under our own pressure, but to tell an artist not to create when they feel the urge ain’t a great option either!

3) Two examples that come to mind on the topic of good and bad sides of artists obsession are this Episode of the Flipped Podcast (by and about Irish animators) http://flippedpodcast.podbean.com/e/flipped-podcast-9-celine-kiernan/
And the documentary “Persistence of Vision” about William’s The Thief and the Cobbler. (Beware, the later will possibly make you very sad, and never want to complain about your work ever again)

Most of the time the drive makes work fun, but in the dark seasons it’s a lot harder to pull through because my work loses its joy and there’s nothing to balance it out. I think if I were in an artistic funk with my personal project and but I had a full time art job, I’d still be creating at my 9-5 and it would help me pull out of the rut on my personal work faster. But since my personal comic is also my job, it’s all a lot messier. The highs are higher but I think the lows are lower, too.

A few years ago I started to really enjoy cooking, which has been nice because it’s something I have to do every day anyway, but it really is an actual hobby completely separate from art. It’s become a relaxing part of my day, chopping vegetables and listening to Gilmore Girls reruns or Serial episodes or something purely for fun.

It helps me step away from my work for a little while anyway, and break up my work day. (Which can last all night, too.)

Thanks for sharing and best of luck in your transition out of college and into the art field!

What you’re saying about cooking is really smart. I think having other hobbies/activities (sport for me) helps you being creative. It gives your mind time to rest, be at ease. And sometimes that’s when the magic happens.

“But animation and art are obsessive things, we make a job out of our passion for drawing, and then we make it a hobby on the side too. So many people work for an animation company and make their own short films and comics etc on the side.” I think we all need to make sure we keep a balance of course, and not let ourselves work to the bone under our own pressure, but to tell an artist not to create when they feel the urge ain’t a great option either!”

I wish I had had this mindset in school! What a wonderful thought to have. Thank you for sharing, Lynn!

Healthy obsession is a thing. A good thing. I’m obsessed with my characters in my stories. They breathe in my mind and I’m obsessed with getting them to grow and act in the way that I want to – and then sharing them.

Lora, what you said near the end of the cast really really resonated with me. Staying on that tightrope between discipline and passion. I really want to make sure that I’m obsessing over the right things and not the wrong things right now.

Eric is amazing. I love how he talks about story and that his advice to us is to find out how to get better at your job. There was a lot he said there, but there’s alot he didn’t say… and it’s what he didn’t say that has really stuck with me. There’s so, SO much you learn from trying to get better at your job. I mean, what better way to grow than try to get better at something? And a job pays you to do that.

Wow that sounds so simple. Thanks for another great cast, guys! Can’t wait for what’s in store in the next few months! 😀

” I really want to make sure that I’m obsessing over the right things and not the wrong things right now.”

When we’re in our own little world we can get pulled into obsessively working on something that is surface level. Great critique can show you what the main things you’re missing are, so you can focus on that.

Really, CTNx is a great place for this if you’re in the animation industry, or bring your portfolio to a comic convention if that’s your aim. A pro will often be able to zoom in on the big picture things you need to fix that you weren’t able to see.

You fix more than one thing when you master your weaknesses. Your new super powers spread into other areas and things you once labored over fix themselves.

I too get myself stuck in the obsession phase so strongly at times it actually locks me down and I become static, the exact opposite of what will get me out of it.

I too need to remember to obsess about the right things! I also need to remind myself to stand up, set back from the piece and take it in as a single breath instead of staring down the square inch I get stuck on at times, lol!

Obsession and passion are closely related in that both are related to being consumed by something. Obsession is mental; you just can’t get That Thing (TM) out of your head. Passion is having such strong emotions about That Thing(TM) that how you express that emotion can get out of control.

Finding the balance between your obsession and passion is critical. Digging into how Eric talked about Run Love Kill, he clearly has both for the project. Enough obsession that it kept coming back up, that it stayed on his brain and enough passion that he labored over how to make the story better, how to present it, how to care for this creation; those discussions about it being presented as a graphic novel or an on-going comic.

Finding what does that for you is the key. The other concerns – getting better at your job, balancing family/work/life/project, etc. – will fall into place if you’re able to find That Thing(TM) that you’re both obsessed with and passionate about. A balance between your mental and emotional focus on it will allow you to make those hard calls – if I’m going to do This Thing right, I need to get better at X and Y and I need to get my spouse/partner/family on-board with where my time is going to be spent to get this done – and enlist those you trust the most to give you honest, pointed critique of the project as you progress.

As so many of you guys said already, it is healthy as long as you have time for everything *important*.

I have my day job, my part-time job and my art, so I try and balance those 3 at the same time.

Art IS my healthy obsession – currently, the book I’m working on-, and it is only healthy because even though I use most of the free time I have on it, I still have room for my partner, family and friends. AND baking.

Because you know.. there is no life without some cookies in the mix…

..and baking is my biggest stress reliever.

The key word in this, at least for me, is Slow Down.

If I start getting to caught up on something, I just try hard to stop.
If I get a call to do something, I *really* want to do it immediately, but I learned to slow down and let stuff sink.

Because slowing down allow us to save time, even if it seem contradictory.

This “Slow Down” thing is something I need to practice. I’m jugging podcasting with secret projects with Dreamer with secret comics and no wonder I feel frantic. Every time I try to do art for fun, practice, or relaxation I’m not happy with the results, if I can make myself do it at all.

Thanks for the reminder!

P.S. So glad you like baking. Where would we be without Ania cookies??

I totally agree Ania, and Lora! I’m someone who does everything, and I know that it’s not good. That’s why this year, it’s about saying no to some things, even though I enjoy them tons. The thing for me is that I get super passionate about things, it’s my super power, to feel someones love for something and go at it at full speed! But I do too much, and by the end of the day, I really haven’t done one thing well:( It’s unprofessional. The word “no” has been such a life saver this year for me!

Thanks guys, for yet another episode! I did not know Eric’s work at all! So I feel like I just got to discover a whole new world out there! What a treat!

About obsession… my personal situation is that it’s in my nature. I just can’t ever turn it off. In general, I think it’s a good thing, because it will eventually get me to where I want to go. I know, without the shadow of a doubt, that I’m committed to my work. I always have been. That’s very reassuring to me. But there is, in my experience, two very bad aspects about it too.

First, I’ve been trying to get projects off the ground for a very long time, without much success. I have tones of ideas which I can’t manage to release into the world. And all that pined up creative energy makes for a lot of frustration. Didn’t Walt Stanchfield write “Creativity – Expression = Depression”?

The second problem is one that many of you talk about. I have often driven myself into the ground. It took me a really long time to understand that “just powering through” is not always a good idea.

What I’ve learned is that when ever creating art isn’t fun anymore and I get too many tension knots in my shoulders, I need to take a step back and do something else. Obviously, when a deadline is looming, that’s not possible. But sometimes, even a short walk can help to refresh the mind. And to make good work, it’s so important to be in a happy head space.

The above mentioned momentum really is the bright side of obsession! And I’m getting so much of it from having discovered Oatley Academy! Thank you!

“I’ve been trying to get projects off the ground for a very long time, without much success.”

What’s the obstacle to success here? Are you having a hard time working on the projects to make them? Or have you made the projects and can’t find an audience/ market?

I agree with your point on powering through– sometimes a break clears our head and it takes less time to finish something once we’ve stepped away then if we stayed in it and just fought with it that whole time.

I am a great self motivator. So all is good on that front. But mostly, the problem is that I’ve always tried to go through official/traditional channels in Europe. That means a lot of time spent with funding applications, producers, pitch presentations, competitions and juries. I’ve gotten close several times, but I’ve come to see that as a bad thing as it kept me going on things that later fell through. I’m only now following the advice a friend has been giving me for years… I’m just going to make something on my own! It’s one of the reasons I’ve signed up for the academy… thanks for asking!

This was such a great episode, one I feel could be listened to multiple times to fully appreciate. I especially love when Eric talks about Arrogance. For me, arrogance is something I’ve spent a lot of time and effort on removing from all aspects of my life. Hard lessons in my youth taught me that arrogance was no good. I didn’t realize until listening to this podcast that it’s something I may be missing now as a key element of confidence. Time to rethink that balance a little bit.

As for Health Obsession, I think it’s healthy until it’s not. It’s important to be aware of that very fine line, not only with art but with all things in life in order to achieve a good balance.

I wish I had said this at the time, but the “arrogance” Eric is talking about I refer to as “showmanship.”

There’s an audacity in the decision to become an entertainer (To be clear, I categorize illustrators and storytellers as entertainers) isn’t always arrogant in the traditional sense. Glen Keane is the perfect example? Is GK arrogant? Certainly not a word I (nor anyone I can imagine) would consider him arrogant.

It is possible to be audacious enough to take the stage, but humble enough to embrace your role as an entertainer in a posture of generosity.

Healthy obsessions … all I can say there is that I hope there are some healthy obsessions, since the Oatley Academy seems to be preaching for an obsessive lifestyle when it comes to making art. 🙂 Yea verily, amen, amen! lol

Having listened to this podcast from the beginning, it’s really interesting to hear the development of each host’s style. You guys all bring a lot of character to the show, which keeps it interesting, but I gotta say – Lora, it’s been amazing listening to you grow as an interviewer. Timeliness and appropriateness of questions, especially follow ups, is really good – you always seem to ask the follow up question I want to hear the answer to. Plus, your on air voice is clear and pleasant to listen to. Not that the guys aren’t interesting to listen to also but it feels like you’ve made an effort to speak clearly and at an understandable pace without a lot of ums and ahs and it’s paying off for you. Listening to this one, I was just struck by how pleasant your voice is. 🙂

The show has changed a lot through the years. Chris & I have repeatedly said to each other lately how it feels like we’re finding a really good groove for our interviews. And I just ask the questions I want to know, ha ha! We have such amazing artists on our show I’ve taken advantage of the opportunity to pick their brains.

Laura’s tightrope analogy was awesome. I find myself falling on both sides of that line way too often. I’ll get tons of work done in the month or two before a convention but spend almost no time with my non art friends and family. Then once its over its super hard to get work done until about a month and a half before the next show when I get obsessed again but I spend lots of time with friends and family. Finding that balance where I can be productive enough and still spend enough time on other important things is super hard.

How Eric can find a way to be passionate about his projects also blows my mind. I’ve only done a little bit of really low end freelance work but I can never get that passion. I’ll start out with it but by then end of the project its all been sucked away and I just feel like I’m just an art robot ( just doing what some one else commands with no real input or personal investment in the project ).

The discussion topic also turn on the semantics area in my nerd brain. I know what you guys mean by a “healthy obsession”, but by definition an obsession isn’t balanced or healthy. I think the word dedicated or devoted conveys the idea of “a healthy obsession” a bit better. “having single-minded loyalty or integrity” or “give all or a large part of one’s time or resources to (a person, activity, or cause)” sounds more accurate than “preoccupy or fill the mind of (someone) continually, intrusively, and to a troubling extent”.

The feast or famine aspect of it can be a part of balance, though. I don’t think balance, or healthy has to equate to the same routine.

Some times that built in routine is what you need. Other times, you have to burn the midnight oil for a season. It sounds like finishing Love, Run, Kill is one of those seasons for Eric. I also remember Ryan Woodward talking about similar things while he was making both “Thought of You” and “Bottom of the Ninth.”

If you’re doing this forever, you’ll probably burn out. But if it’s for a season or a project, a lot of times you have to let the passion carry you through to the end!

Nick has a good point though, I think we call these artistic endeavors obsessions for a reason. Look at Eric as an example – he acknowledged up-front that the necessarily obsessive behavior could potentially have a negative impact on his marriage, so he took steps up front to make sure his wife didn’t feel left out – of his obsession. Obsession is the right word. If you look at many great auteurs, their work IS driven, compulsive, has negative impact on their family and social lives, and all the rest. But without the dark side of obsession, there would be no Van Gogh, no Kubrick, no Kurosawa, no Pollack, et al … and I think a lot less great art overall.

I don’t think it was obsession that made Van Gogh, Pollack and all of those other artists great. Just off the top of my head Van Gogh had some serious mental health issues and addictions that fueled his art. It wasn’t so much an obsession as it was an outlet. I think most of Kubricks best films were made after he was married with a family. He may have put a lot of time and effort into getting every detail just right, but he still made time for his family. Kubrick at least attempted to find a balance. I think what you should be taking away from these artists obsessions isn’t that it made them great, but rather that life throws enough problems and issues your way that you shouldn’t turn art into another one or it could make you miserable.

I think i have always looked at doing art as kind of an obsession. Like Sherlock Holmes thinking out a problem and trying to figure it out. Study after study after study. Keep going till you get it and not before. Go for great! I think you have to love it even when it doesn’t love you back. To me that’s how you grow, you push the sled til you can’t push it anymore. Then you do it again.

Hey Derrick! Glad you found me on here. Also thanks Lora, i love your work as well. This show has been like a godsend to me and i thank you all for that. After seeing your work (Chris, Lora, Justin, Derrick) it makes me want to push the sled even further. You guys make me think the dream is possible. Of course there are times when we just don’t want to but you do it anyway. No one wants to stay in the Minors forever. ( My baseball analogy for today) I think if you keep pushing the answer is there and just waiting for you to find it. Maybe its like Lord of the rings, it wants to be found :D. Thanks again Derrick for conversing with me back and forth. Apprecitate it!

WOW! I was just grouped with the amazing Chris, Lora and Justin! ( I feel like i am glowing from awesomeness association! ) Thank you for the kind words and it has been a joy to help where I can!

This show and the hosts have honestly been changing my life for 3 years now so I COMPLETELY understand where you are coming from!

And yes! I love the way you put it, “…the answer is there and just waiting for you to find it.” That is so cool! Its like an art Golem waiting with the ring to help you fight the Nazgul of the Blank Sheet!…if I were to be geeky enough to say it that way…not that I am or anything…LOL!

Your very welcome! and yes sir your part of the team there. Its great to be heard. When you need help you gotta ask someone who understands. I so want to write stories like you have with Kodi The Star Fish. I am so not a writer at all! I can draw! but putting a story together is not a strong suit. I just think if i wrote something it would just come off corny and stupid. Do you have any suggestions to help clear this hurdle?

I feel like I say this every podcast now, but this once again might be one of my new favorite episodes–I think you guys really hit it out of the park interviewing Eric. It was so well-balanced with everyone giving their own thoughts and asking the perfect questions to get Eric’s wonderful mix of experience, advice, and insight. Wonderful job! And Eric overall is such a great speaker, I kind of felt bad each time he mentioned not needing to pitch something because I bet his pitches are incredible.

Before I answer Lora and Justin’s question at the end about obsession, one thing that was brought up in the interview that really struck me was Eric’s advice about learning how to get better at your job, especially in concern with other people further along the process and how to make their work easier and better. It reminded me of my game team and how I myself have been learning that. My main job for the game is character design, and it’s so easy for me to go a little crazy with detailed outfits, accessories, etc. to make the character feel real. But one thing I have to keep in mind is that we also have a pixel artist who needs to translate my designs into the sprite versions of the characters, and he’s working with a much more limited space. I didn’t really think about that at first, but now as I’m working on designs I’m also trying to keep his pixel work in mind so that he can draw memorable and clean sprites of the characters (and not have to kill himself drawing them).

It’s interesting how working as a team like that isn’t something that I think comes natural to a lot of people. We tend to focus so much on doing /our/ best individual work, which is important, but when you’re on a team you also have to remember everyone else is trying to do their best work as well, and that your own work carries some of the responsibility for their success when you’re part of a team.

Just for a quick thought on obsession–I think others have touched on the fine line between allowing obsession to carry you through a project but also not letting it completely take over your life. There’s definitely a balance, and one thing Eric mentioned in the podcast that I think is important is always letting the important people in your life be aware of your work. When he knew he’d be pulling long days, getting up early and still working full-time in order to complete this graphic novel, he talked to his wife about it and they found a balance. I think obsession can become problematic when you start cutting out the people in your life in order to do the work, so it’s important to let people in because their perspectives can be invaluable to keeping you sane.

I had a teacher who said something like: ‘learning to draw is like drinking beer. If you drink 1 beer a day, by the end of the month you’ll have drunk 30 beers without a lot of negative consequences, but if you try and cram 30 beers into 1 weekend, your going to die’

To answer the prompt, I think its all about creating healthy habits that can be maintained for a long time. At a certain point art is not so much about brute force, but rather about thought process. If your not sleeping or neglecting family, then your missing out, and your work will suffer too. There are times where you just in crunch mode to get a project done, but you need to think of that as a temporary stage. I try to take that to heart (not the beer part) and work a few hours each night after work & after my wife and daughter goto bed, but not so much that I can’t function the next day at my paying gig.

That’s funny, I JUST wrote a blog post about rest. I do the 5am wake up, workout, art, day job, cleaning… And I still have some time to relax and get to bed early, so I thought I was resting. But I was always kind of tired and I would draw about a page a day…

I cut back in a way. I started exercising every other day so my body can heal. And I’m super unmotivated after I come home from my day job, so I stopped forcing the expectation to work at that time.

After adjusting my mental and physical rest amounts, my productivity has quadrupled after just a week! I work less hours and get more done. And I’d still say that I work obsessively since my project is almost always in my mind, but I’m approaching it in a healthier way 🙂

OA always bringing the positive back up for my crazy plans! Thanks guys!

It’s funny that always when I’m listening to the podcast I work better.
Listening to these interviews / stories makes me more happier / proactive / effective.

I’ve worked as a bakground painter in animation for 2 years, but I got laid off October last year. Since thec I’ve been thinking on what to do and I’m trying to focus more and more on backgrounds / colors.

Working / studying at home can be pretty hard and not everyone understands that very well and I truly think we need to be a little obsessive about it to keep going forward.

One real big motivator for me this year was the movie called Whiplash.
I like it a lot, and at the movie you can see all the struggles and understand better what do you want to do if you really want to get better and what you can lose if you go too obssesive about it.

I think that obsession is just a natural part of becoming a successful artist. Because well, given the years it takes to refine the craft… you’d have to be a little obsessive! I think it may look more obsessive to non-artists than it might look to us. Spending 8 hours a day on my comic probably looks over obsessive to some people, but for me it’s what I have to do.
But you do need to strike a balance and not become too honed in on one thing. Like Eric mentioned, he put aside one day a week of his intense schedule to spend time with his wife. It’s important to not become so focused on a project that we forget to pay attention to our friends, family, and health.

I remember Jimmy Gownley saying in his interview on the PW Show that he hasn’t watched all the ‘must see’ TV shows of the last decade, but at the end of the day, he has his eight Amelia Rules! books and he wouldn’t trade them.

As for the healthy Obsession, I agree with Stephen and Tegan! I think the wod “obssesion” has a negative baggage to it that makes it a bit cringing. Balance really is key, at least in my experience. Every time I get super obssesed about anything, I kind of forget about everything else and while I do learn about stuff a lot faster, it brings harm on other parts of my life. Well, that’s my take on it!

Thanks for the interview! Eric’s work is beautiful and I’m not sure I’ve ever followed someone on instagram so fast. From his tumblr photos, I’m in awe of everything and I’m especially freaking out about the couple Hellboy drawings I saw.

Adding to the obsession discussion – in my mid-twenties, I’m afraid I’m starting the art game pretty late, and I’ve got it stuck in my head that the only way to catch up is to GET obsessed. I’m drawing daily, taking a class, studying tutorials on youtube, tumblr, pinterest, etc. at every turn. I have milestones and projects for myself that will hopefully turn into a modest portfolio (I love using Todoist to keep track of my goals and some semblance of a schedule). So far, it’s working – I recently re-watched all my favorite 90s animated movies, and I’ve never noticed all the detail in the backgrounds before. It made a huge impression on me to make sure my own backgrounds help tell the story too, not just serve as something for the characters to stand on. Thanks Justin!

I do work a 9-5, non-creative day job that has its own slew of anxiety and problems, but the art obsession (and OBVIOUSLY my husband and dog) are keeping me sane. So almost all my spare time is thrown at art lately, with the occasional day off for sewing, soapmaking, or board games with friends.

My obsession is sneaking into my dayjob hours too, as I listen to Chris, Lora, and Justin instead of music while I peck away at a keyboard. I take more notes during most of these interviews than I did for any semester in college! For now, this balance is working pretty well for me and my time spent drawing, though limited, is usually productive as I make small breakthroughs here and there.

I think work ethic and obsession are almost something that is taboo to talk about sometimes. If you are the person who works extremely hard, using all your free time to try to improve your art, you will probably improve faster than someone who has a more balanced life. People talk also about how the best artists are sometimes/often the ones who work late at the company even though they are already talented, and you’ll have to work harder than them if you want to reach their level. But, even though I feel like I work pretty hard and am trying to improve my skills outside my day job (which is already working in animation professionally…) even though, I don’t want to be someone who wakes up a year later and wonders where did the year go, that all I was doing was drawing, that I never saw my friends or I didn’t go on a walk with my toddlers because I needed to draw every waking hour to become the best artist possible. For me, I suppose I have decided that I’m ok with not being the most amazing artist ever. I’m going to try to push myself and learn more, but I’m also going to keep balance with my family and friends and hobbies. I think it’s good to evaluate what your priorities are and make sure you aren’t wasting too much on things that aren’t important to you, but too far in the other direction and you are only an artist and not a parent, not a friend. And on top of that, I think, sometimes, it’s bad for the industry as a whole for artists to work “for free” overtime, working late, etc, because of their pride of their work (which is admirable) but… since companies get used to getting X amount of work for X pay/time. They (the company) start pushing schedules shorter and shorter and don’t understand why artists burn out or leave, etc.

Hey, you make some real good points! Working harder is not always working better. Artists need space for day dreaming anyway. And I’d say it’s NEVER ok for studios to ask their people to work “for free”! It’a “race to the bottom” mentality that will only hurt themselves (and the industry as a whole) in the long run! Have worked in places like that and cannot recommend it!

Amazing episode!! Thanks so much to all of you for your insight; these podcasts always shine a light from the end of the tunnel.

In my opinion, to be truly good at art, one has to be obsessed. Improvement can only be made by constant practice and putting in the time and effort. If you’re passionate about something, it’s on your mind all the time! Obsession can be a good thing and spur you on to higher levels of understanding and practicing a craft. Everyone’s balance between healthy and unhealthy obsession is different and should be approached with both a level head AND a hungry heart. : )

I don’t believe that one can have a healthy obsession. Believe me, I’ve tried, haha. Sooner or later all the things that are neglected while pursuing the obsession come crashing down and this can be too overwhelming for one to function. Being riddled with anxiety and too mentally exhausted to be productive is a very unhappy way to go through life.

Wow, I have said this at the start of every comment, but really, thank you THANK you Chris, Lora, Justin, Eric and everyone else involved, for this podcast! Awesome episode!

What an inspiring story! I loved listening to how closely Eric pays attention to the emotional subtext of the art behind the story being told, and how thin the lines are between emotions and interpretations. It’s a SUPER inspiring description of the design process behind compositions and I am definitely going to try and pay more attention to interactions and conversations than I already do. I’m totally in awe of the work I’ve found of Eric’s online…so much movement, detail and emotion!!!! Incredibly inspiring!!!

I completely agree with the comments up top about how routine (instead of completely empty days) helps production. This past month has been the first for a while in which don’t have many work commitments, but I’ve been realizing I was way more productive when I had a lot more to do each day, and it’s made me feel quite confused and frustrated. So those comments up top were crazy reassuring…they make so much sense!! Maybe I just have to find a routine that inspires the most productivity. This really speaks to how everything in our lives fuels a passion for art instead, and is much more realistic and approachable than ideal finished projects that appear out of nowhere from isolation.

Finally on the ‘healthy obsession:’ I definitely think obsession goes hand in hand with creating art: anything one creates that encompasses all of one’s inspirations, secret dreams and observations is bound to be obsessive. But I feel that frame of mind can be both extremely positive and extremely negative. It’s really easy for obsession to become a standstill instead of a means to understand your work and habits. I always try to remind myself that I have to use my obsession to help guide myself, and in other aspects of my life as well as art, and to not let it unconsciously limit and frustrate me. It’s always a struggle to find that balance. So inspiring and comforting to read everyone’s thoughts above!

Thanks for another great podcast team!! Special thanks to Eric for all the insights and awesomeness! 😀

There’s been a LOT of learning regarding obsession and balance over in this corner lately…when I worked in the gray cube I spent most of my non-work hours still working on my personal stuff. I had to or I felt incomplete as a person. Where as my fiance with the art-job would come home and continue to work on art because the professional stuff wasn’t scratching the right itch. It worked that way because it just did. We had time for each other in-between things and weren’t really unhappy with the arrangement.
Since moving and starting my first art job, I’ve had to do major re-arranging in my schedule to reduce the scale/number of certain projects to emphasize the ones I enjoy most and still meet deadlines and not forget to eat and figure out how to navigate a new city and make friends, etc. >< For the space of two weeks I was deathly afraid of serious burn out, but I think I'll be okay. Instead of SUPER saturation to keep motivated like I was aiming for when the 9-5 was shuffling papers, I'm actively diversifying my intake so 1. I'm not getting completely overwhelmed by the inspiration and reference for two "realms" (personal v. professional) that are currently very similar and 2. I actually have more ideas for projects down the road. It feels different enough to be a break.
But I think the biggest Learn was for Raul. By removing me from the routine we had established, he realized how much time I spent as something in his peripheral. It was very upsetting for him and very relieving for me – but we've done a lot of talking since this realization hit. When he comes out here (With the rest of the furniture thank gosh, I'm starting to get tired of sleeping bags) we've decided to make more time for each other – which I am very much looking forward to.

I think obsession can be healthy. (Like said earlier – healthy until it's not) I don't think I would have gotten to where I am now without it. (We actually had a conversation at work today about how OCD is a huge benefit in my position) Knowing how and where to direct my energy (when building my portfolio, etc.) was key – and that I got from being observant and understanding the input from my mentors and peers. (OA AND PAPERWINGS COMMUNITIES FOR LIFE!!) Balancing obsession is a real skill though and takes constant assessment and course correction.

And now I'm going to do some stretches. Because stretching before art will save your life.

What Eric said about earning the fights really resonates with me because I have had the experience of not earning a fight. I tried to animate a fight scene and treated it as a technical exercise, rushed through my set-up and the story just wasn’t there. When I showed it in class critiques no one was invested in it at all–I hadn’t given them any reason to be! I learned a pretty important lesson from that.

To me a healthy obsession is being in a quiet place, sometimes with background music. It gives me freedom to write stories and create silly characters. If I start something I have to quickly write it otherwise I procrastinate.

I think I have short periods of obsession about different things, my art is my work, so I am forced to keep at it no matter what. But outside of work and art I have other interests like cooking, reading, tv shows, nerding out on technology. It really allows me to breath- but perhaps by nature I’m just not a super creative person.

I really hope I can obsess over my art again soon, as whenever I do I really do so well and I feel proud of what I produce sometimes. 🙂

Just wanted to say thanks for some great content!
really encouraging stuff.
i think the term “Obsessed” has a negative connotation as opposed to “focused” or “determined”. The word feels out of balance, excessive. So no i don’t think its a good thing in general but there are those times in life that you need to throw Caution to the wind and get a “little out of control”.
everything in moderation… including moderation 🙂

Ha. Well, as a story topic, I love obsession. You can beat it to death again and again and again, or beat viewers/readers/players to death with it and it still manages to carry an inherent degree of appeal; of relatability. Everyone’s obsessed with something, even if they don’t act on or pursue an obsession. It’s the tunnel vision or recklessness that can come of it that makes for a good cautionary tale.
So in that sense, sure, there are plenty of healthy obsessions out there. But there are a lot of unhealthy ways to deal with or resolve (if applicable or even possible) personal obsessions. Obsessions get us going, they light a fire under us, help the engine turn over. There’s value in being able to recognize when an obsession is going to turn toxic, however, or when we’re turning them toxic.
Then there’s realigning obsessions, in certain cases. An obsession with a craft is what makes it a craft. An obsession with mastering a craft is what’s going to get you into trouble. If you find yourself being overcome at certain moments, just walking down the street, when you need to curl up, can’t get enough air, vision goes static and hearing, too, because you’re not where you want to be in your craft, then something’s not right. I’ve had plenty of those. And a recalibration of sorts is in order. Podcasts like this can be that kick in the butt, for sure, but high highs can mean low lows if you’re not careful. And obsession is a really easy way to blow those lows way out of proportion.

Everyone loves a good cautionary tale. Is there such thing as healthy obsession?
Ha. And yes.

I definitely think that there’s a level of obsession that’s almost necessary. I know there’s a difference between drive and obsession in this stuff, but I think both are needed in their own doses to continue to grow in a craft. You have to want it enough, and have the drive and will to persevere. But you also have to have a love and/or obsession with other people’s work so that you can learn. You just have to make sure your obsession stays present enough to help you persist, but doesn’t take over your drive. Then you become less about learning and improving and more about producing with less quality and eye.

Hello to everyone!
First of all I want to thank Chris, Lora and all guys who work on this amazing podcast!
Even though I subscribed to this podcast for a long time ago, I wasn’t sure if I should make any comments by myself because of the lack of experience in the creating comics field. But after this interview I decided that I must at least thank all of you guys for sharing all of those treasures with other people like me. I’m really happy that I found this website. Many thanks for all your hard work.
Listening interview like this one with Eric Canete is very precious! It was very inspirational and encouraging to hear Eric talking about his creative journey. I’m looking forward to read his new book “Run Love Kill”!
And special thanks for your book recommendations! The “Invisible Ink” of Brian McDonald was breathtaking!
Keep up with your personal work! I can’t wait to hear more interesting podcasts from you!
My regards and very best wishes.

P.S. Sorry for any odds or mistakes. English is not my native language.

Thank you for a great interview. Very nice guy and a interesting story of how Eric ended up where he is today. I went straight to google and found a lot of cool, and new inspirational art. So thanks!

I do believe in being focused with discipline over a period of time so that it is possible to achieve something for yourself is a healthy thing. Like, say, a personal art project, doing something for somebody you love or drawing or sketching something even if your not working. English is not my native language, so I might not understand the topic properly. I love art and I have done so since a child. It is a part of me and I take many decisions in my life based on that. Perhaps that Art is an obsession for me, but I dont think it makes me blind to other important things like my children or wife. Perhaps you could call that an healthy obsession, I am not really sure.

I am a storyboard artist based in Oslo, Norway. I mostly do boards for commercials and live action movies here in Norway. It would have been nice to get some thoughts on what artist like Eric and Justin (or others) about what they think are the main differences by storyboard for live action versus animation? A lot is similar, but what are the biggest differences in the approach? I am asking because I am very interesting in work with animation. I have directed commercials, made comics and written scripts for shorts in addition to storyboarding. And now I would like to try to develop my own animated short. Anyway, a BIG thank you to Chris & co for making such great podcasts! All the best from Norway, Raymond:)

I’m glad i found this site on the internet. been reading your articles since yesterday, about texture monster, character design, etc, etc.
I’ve been trying to change my style and goal in mind, from the conventional manga-style drawing into something like digital concept art painting (with manga-ish touch). . but still struggling about the so called texturing, rendering, concepting and so on. so I’m looking forward to know more about concept art and painting from this site. and please take care of me.
so, moving to the topic of this article. I find it hard to describe whether positive obsession is actually exist or not. since obsession do have wider meaning. but, if we talk about senses which came from every human, they are sense of belonging and sense of duty, positive obsession may be true. by approaching from the view of sense of belonging, every human have something they belong or belonged. in this case, art is someone belonged for, he has art for everything, so this guy has art as his sense of belonging. removing this belonging from certain someone will cause an uproar inside or outside. moving onto next perspective, sense of duty makes someone have a meaning in this life and he has to do something about that. this means art is what it cared for, his career, his passion, he has to do something with it otherwise something would feel empty.
by fulfilling these 2 need of senses, it may become the so said positive obsession, which makes someone being obsessed about what he belong, and do something with that obsession, handling that obsession into future goal, clear mind and objectives.

Chris, you are killing it with these fantastic interviews! As a artist jumping into a second career, doing storyboards,comics and children’s books This interview inspired me to no ends. Thank you as always for putting the time together to craft these wonderful podcasts. Not only are you an amazing teacher, and artist, but also a leader in inspiration and motivation for artists everywhere! Keep up the fantastic work!

I really enjoyed this interview. I went straight to my local comic store and picked up the last copy of Run, Love, Kill. Would it be possible to do a show where you bring in some industry pros on the publishing side and discuss the pros an cons of going the serialized route vs the graphic novel route? I have to admit it confuses me. I don’t have to buy books by King or Martin by the chapter. It seems to me that the serialized method is what is holding the comic book industry back. Maybe it makes more money in the short term but what is it doing in the long term? I know people who refuse to read comics that are in the serialized form because the don’t like dealing with the hassle of a big stack of comics, they just want to pick up a book and read. I think this is part of the appeal of manga, aside from the diversity of stories. One other suggestion I suppose this is a long shot but is there any chance you might be able to interview Claire Wendling at some point? Stuart NG has been sending out posts about her impending first visit to an american con this summer. Either way keep up the great podcasts they really get me through the day.

Awesome interview! I stumbled on this podcast a couple weeks ago through a series of links on the internet (You know the type–where you end up reading the Wikipedia article on strangling figs and you wonder how on earth you got there). I’ve been listening from the beginning, but decided to jump to the end so I could participate on the blog and actually comment.

As far as “obsession” goes, it makes me think of that one quote from National treasure:

“We don’t need someone crazy. But one step short of crazy, what do you get?”
“Obsessed”
“Passionate.”

My point being that crazy, obsessed, and passionate are hard to differentiate. I honestly forget to eat sometimes when I’m really into a picture I’m making.

I think its important to remember that our level of obsession is going to ebb and flow throughout our life just as our feelings about or work do, or our interests. So if I’m more obsessed now than I was that doesn’t mean that I’m being irresponsible, or if my obsession seems to wane that doesn’t mean I’m a failure. It means you’re a person with a life, and you’re moving forward in your own way. Sometimes you sprint forward, and sometimes you need to walk for a bit. Just keep going.

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